Multiple-brush switch.



J. L. McQUARRIE.

MULTIPLE BRUSH SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1915.

1 1 77,044, I Ptented Mar. 28, 1916.

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TE, GE IrZ-QNTCEAIR, NEW JERSEY, ABSIGNQR, BY IVSIESNE ASSIGN ELECTRIC (IQLEZEPAEIY, XNGORPE'JPJATED, .rl. CORPOEATIGN Q1 MULTIPLE-BRUSH SWZICII.

l1 liC3-lll0ll filed Suns 8, was, serial No. eases.

aZZ whom 2'5 may concern: Be it known that i, James L. MCQUARRIE, itiZ-en of the United States, residing at niore particularly to plurality of lorusi se any one of which may I, 'l f v I.

" be rendered operative in extendin a call.

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The principal object of this invention resides '21 the provision or improved means for tripoing or rendering operative any desired us or the brush sets oi a switch. lileretoore in switches of this type a brush tripng pindle and an operating magnet there been provided for each switch. resent invention contemplates the proa plurality oiit' tripping devices corngroup of s tches, only as ma .3] r v devices being" provided as there are -5 brushes on an one 0:? sai switches.

l-la CI) T he s" itch structure, to which th invention is shown as applied, is or eral character described in the patent to Craft ano J. Iieynolds, No. ,123,696.

Referring to the d awing, Figure 1 shows a side view of a per-1 on of the switch; Fig. I 2 is a plan View of one of the brush sets and an adjacent portion. of the panel hank; 3 shows a portion of one of the common tripping devices and the relation of a pair of the individual trip elements thereon to the respective brush controlling levers of" a pair of adjacent switches; Fig 4 is a perspective View of one of the individual brush tripping devices or catches carried by a common trip rod; Fig. 5 shows a brush set and the manner in which the brush controlling lever thereof engages the trip rod in order to restore the brushes to their inoperative position when the switch returns to normal.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the brush shaft upon which is supported a plurality of e pres Sneeification of Letters Patent.

f fl- J. air" a ,4 Fa him? 2%, thin,

brush sets, usually five in number, although onlytwo are shown in the drawings. Se cured to this shaft are the brush sets 2, each or which consists of a plurality of brushes, tour being shown in the drawings. these four brushes, the two outermost are or to engage corresponding contacts in the panel bank while the two inner brushes engage on opposite sides of the middle terininal. of the set in the panel bank. If de sired, however, only two brushes need be provided each of which will engage its own indi 'idual fixed contacts.

1 Pivotally supported adjacent to each nrush set in suitable manner is a brus controlling member 3 formed in th present instance of rehent strip of metal, the ends of which project rearward or toward the shaf 1. The lever ii is arranged to he en gaged by the tripping device to release the set of brushes, and the lever 5 operates to restore the brushes to normal in a which will presently appear. Projecting upwardly from the lever 3 ad acent to the springs or brushes is pair of insulating rollers 6 which, when the switch is in normal position, are located between the innermost brushes of the set in order to hold said brushes in their inoperative it'on. Between each inner brush its adjacent outer brush is an insulating hloclz 'l', h}, neans of which the outer brushes are also ed to inoperative position.

e driving or operating mechanism s itch may be substantially the same that shown in patent to J. N. Reynolds,

J s r or the herein.

Secured to the lower end of the shaft 1. is an elevating bar 8 which passes adjacent to the power driven drums 9 and 10 rotating in opposite directions. On the opposite side of the bar 8 and adjacent to the drums 9 and 10 are the antiiriction rollers 11 and 12, carried on the upwardly extending portions of the arniatures 18 and i l respectively. Adjacent to each of these armatures is an electroinagnet upon the energization of which the corresponding roller is oper: to force the bar 8 into engagement with of power driven drains J or 16.

The bar 8 is provided with a series ii or notches arranged to he the pivotally supported pawl h of which the shaft is held in its elev thereof engages the downwardly extending end of the pawl 16, whereby the shaft is released so that it mav be returned to its normal position by means of the drum 9.

All that part of the structure which has now been described is substantially the same as described in the two patents above referred to.

The common trip feature which forms the principal object of this invention will now be described in detail. It is to be understood that the shafts 1 of the group of switches are all mounted parallel to each other and in the same plane. Parallel to the plane of the shafts 1 and slightly below the brush sets 2 thereof, when the shafts are in their normal position, are the common trip rods or shafts 19, there being as many of these rods as there are multiple brush sets upon any one of the switches. These rods are rotatably mounted in any desired manner. Secured to each of these rods 19 near one end thereof is a projecting lug or finger 20 arranged to be engaged by the outer end of the armature 21 of the trip magnet 22. Thus it will be seen that upon the energization of a magnet 22, the corresponding rod 19 will be rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3, and upon the decnergization of the magnet the rod will be returned to its normal position by means of the retractile spring 23. I

Mounted on the rod 19 are the trip members 24, one being placed in proximity to each of the trip levers 4 of the adjacent brush sets. Each trip member or catch 24: comprises a member 25 rigidly secured to the shaft, and carrying at the upper end thereof the outwardly extending finger 26. Loosely mounted on the rod 19- with the flanges thereof on the opposite sides of the member 25, is the channel-like member 26 which is provided at the lower end thereof with the projecting finger 27. A spring 28 is connected at its opposite ends to the fingers 26; and 27 respectively, and by its tension tends to hold the member 26 in engagement with the shoulders 29 on the member 25.. Each of the members 26 is provided at with a projection or;

switches of the group. "lhe switch through I which the connection is to be established is carried upwardly by the energization of the power magnet associated with the drum 10. As the trip lever 4 of the seltcted set of brushes of the operated switch is in engagement with the catch 30, it will be prevented from moving upward in the initial movement of the switch. T his will cause it to rotate about its supporting pivot and thus move the insulatii g spacing devices 6 into the position slowvh in Fig. 5, when the a brushes will be released and Ill assume a position to traverse the contact terminals of their respective section of the switch bank. As the switch shaft moves upwardly, the lever 4 by engaging the catch 30 may cause a rear or backward movement of the member 26 against the tension of the spring 2.8.

As soon as the brush shaft has moved beyond the brush tripping zone, the magnet 22 may be deenergized and may now he used in the release of a brush set of another switch.

When it is desired to restore the switch to its normal position, the down-drive magnet 17 of the operated switch will be energized. This will remove the pawl 16 from operative engagement with the bar 8 and will simultaneously clamp the bar 8 between the down drive drum 9 and the roller 11. its the switch approaches its normal position, the restoring lever 5 of the operated controlling member 3 will engage the rod 19 and will thus restore the spacing members 6 to a w position between the innermost brushes of the set whereby the brushes will be rendered inoperative.

What is claimed 15;

1. In a telephone exchange system, a pluplurality of normally inactive brush sets on a each of said shafts, and tripping devices rendering said brush sets active, each tripping device being common to all of said shafts.

4. In a telephone exchange system, a pinrality of'substan'tially parallel shafts, a piurality of normally inactive brushes on each of said shafts, and trip rods adjacent to all of said shafts for rendering said brushes active, each trip rod being common to brushes on a plurality of said shafts.

5. In a telephone exchange system, a plurality of shafts, a plurality of brush sets on each of saidshafts, brush-controlling devices, one for e ch brush set normally mainon each of said shafts, a controlling device for each brush set normally retaining the brushes thereof in inactive position, and trip rods extendin ad'ac nt to said controllin devices, each trip rod being common to the corresponding controlling devices on a plurality of said shafts.

7. In a telephone exchange, a group of switches, each having a plurality of brush sets, and tripping devices equal in number to the greatest number of brush sets on any one switch, each. tripping device being adapted to cooperate'with any correspondingl y positioned brush set on said brushes.

8. In a telephone exchange system, a group of switches, each having a like plurality of brush sets, and trip rods equal in number to the brush sets on any one of said switches, each trip rod being adapted to cooperate with the correspondingly positioned brush set on each switch.

- 9. In a telephone exchange system, a plurality of longitudinally movable brush.

shafts, each having a like plurality of brush sets, a controlling device for each set normally maintaining the brushes thereof in inactive position, and trip rods equal in 1 imber to the number of brushes on any one switch, each trip rod being arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly positioned controlling device on any of said switches.

10. In a telephone exchange system, a plurality of switch shafts arr: nged substantially parallel in the same plane, each shaft having a plurality of brush sets, a controlling device for each brush set normally maintaining the brushes thereof in inactive position, trip rods extendingat right angles to said shafts but parallel to the plane there of, and means carried by said rod arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly-positioned controlling device on any of said shafts to release the brushes thereof.

11. In a telephone exchange system, a plurality of switch shafts arranged substantially parallel in the same plane, each shaft having a plurality of brush sets, a controlling device for each brush set normally maintaining'the brushes thereof in inactive position, trip rods extending at right angles to said shafts but parallel to the plane thereof, said trip rods being equal in number to the greatest number of brush sets on any one shaft, and means carried by said trip rods arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly positioned controlling device on any of said shafts to release the brushes thereof.

12. In a telephone exchange system, a plurality of longitudinally movable switch shafts arranged substantially parallel in the same plane, each shaft carrying a plurality of brush sets, a controlling lever for each brush set normally holding the brushes thereof in inoperative position, trip rods extending at right angles to said shafts but parallel to the plane thereof, said trip rods being equal in number to the number of brush sets on one of said shafts, and catches carried by said trip rods, one for each adjacent brush set, arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly positioned controlling levers of said sets to release the brushes thereof.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5" day of June, A. D, 1915.

JAMES L. McoUAantn Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eaten'ts, Washington, D. 0. 

